Unsure and Uneasy
by drcjsnider
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy is unsure how to respond when Rose Weasley approaches him in a bar in Turkey. She's a bit uneasy about what he's going to do if he discovers her real motivation.


**Title:** Unsure and Uneasy  
**Rating:** NC-17  
**Warnings:** Sex, Language  
**Summary:** Scorpius and Rose aren't sure where their professional responsibilities end and their personal desires begin.  
**Word Count:** 5725  
**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**Author's/Artist's notes:** I wrote this for LJ's Hp_nextgen_fest for open_atclose. The story is loosely based on the Julia Robert's film _Duplicity_. Also Rose's comment to Scorpius about taking chances is from a Dale Carnegie quote. The prompt for this fic was: "If suddenly / you forget me / do not look for me, / for I shall already have forgotten you" - Pablo Neruda. Thanks to Queenb23more and margotlefaye for the beta job and advice.

Scorpius Malfoy was feeling extremely pleased with himself. He'd been sent on a solo mission to Turkey by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to track down a group of goblin smugglers suspected of selling Muggle artifacts. Not only had he located the smugglers and turned them over to Turkish officials, but he'd also intercepted a Roman portrait head they'd been trying to sell. Although his boss's wife, Hermione Granger-Weasley, had thought recovery of the item a long-shot, she'd be thrilled it could now be turned over to British Museum of London. Scorpius' success would earn him at the very least a commendation and maybe even a promotion.

He'd owled the results of his assignment to Auror headquarters that morning, but his Portkey wouldn't activate for another eighteen hours. So, he was celebrating with a glass of Raki in the hotel bar. Not a big drinker, he was enjoying the warm feeling caused by the alcohol when a group of English tourists entered the establishment.

Three years of field work would have caused him to take note of the newcomers even without the flash of red that caught his eye. The red, however, touched at memories and some innate instinct for self-preservation that had him paying particular attention to the group. His focus was rewarded when he recognized Rose Weasley among those standing at the bar.

Confident that she had not seen him, Scorpius toyed with the idea of returning to his room without approaching her. Although he and Rose had spent seven years together at Hogwarts, they had not been particularly close. Their few interactions, typically with Al Potter hovering nearby, had usually left Scorpius feeling awkward and self-conscious. However, he didn't like the idea of fleeing from her presence. He was no longer an unsure schoolboy and he had enough Raki to give him the liquid courage necessary to withstand any possible embarrassment.

His mind made up, Scorpius called his waitress over and asked her to put the next drink Rose ordered on his tab. He then watched as the server approached Rose and gestured toward him. Someone in the group she was with made a comment that caused her to laugh, but the look on her face when she turned and recognized him drove away his nervousness.

Rose smiled brightly at him, her eyes shining with some emotion Scorpius couldn't place. He rose to his feet as she made her way over to his table.

She surprised him by grabbing both his hands in hers and brushing her lips against his cheek as if they were old friends. "I always wondered," she said softly, pulling back from him.

He quirked an eyebrow at her in confusion. "You always wondered what?"

"What it would take for you to buy a girl a drink. Apparently, she just has to run into you by chance halfway around the world," she teased, releasing his hands.

Scorpius flushed. "Or you might have given me some indication during the last decade that you wanted me to buy you a drink," he replied a little more stiffly than he intended.

"But how could I?" she exclaimed, a mock look of horror on her face. "Just imagine all the spiteful remarks about 'that fast Weasley girl throwing herself at the good-looking Malfoy boy' that I would have been forced to endure."

He gave her a lopsided grin. "As if _you_ ever cared about what people say!"

"Unfair!" she laughed. "I haven't done anything the least bit shocking for close to two years."

"I'm sorry," he replied, the alcohol making him feel confident enough to goad her in a way he never could have back at Hogwarts. "Have you been ill?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, barely holding back a laugh. "If that doesn't put me in my place, nothing will!"

She then looked down at his table before glancing back up at him. "Are you not going to ask me to join you?"

Scorpius turned his head toward the bar where the group she had entered with still stood. "Won't your friends mind losing your company?"

"I daresay they will, because I am the most delightful of companions," she told him, her face alight with mischief. "However, you'd be doing me a great service. They are _work_ friends, you understand."

Scorpius smiled, comprehending immediately what she left unsaid. Merlin knew there were a host of people who worked at the Ministry with whom he'd never associate if they didn't happen share office space. "Please do join me then," he said, motioning to a seat.

Once they were both comfortable, he asked her if she was in Turkey because of her job. He'd learned from her father that she worked for Gringotts' loss prevention department.

Rose nodded and then took a sip of her drink. "We have a big dig coming up near here soon. I'm part of the advance team making sure all the proper security measures are in place."

"If you are interested in security, why didn't you join the Aurors?" He'd always been curious about her career choice. Given her family, she would have been a natural candidate for the training program.

She shrugged. "Too many rules. Besides, I hear that the wizards in charge of that department are real ball-breakers."

Scorpius chuckled but offered no other commentary. Since she was referring to her father and uncle, he knew she wouldn't expect a confirmation or believe a denial from him.

"What about you? What brings you down to Turkey? Are you on some secret Auror mission?"

He shook his head. "Holiday." It wasn't a total lie. After all, he'd already completed his assignment and was essentially free from responsibilities until his Portkey activated.

"Really?" Rose asked as she crossed her arms on the table and leaned towards him, unintentionally providing a display of her rather generous cleavage. "Does this mean that there is some sweet little thing upstairs at this very minute waiting for you to come _entertain_ her?"

Scorpius flushed again and shook his head. "N-no, I'm all by myself."

She rested her chin on hand, her curves still quite visible. "By yourself on holiday? Don't you get lonely?"

"I don't mind," he told her truthfully. He had been on holiday by himself several times. In fact, he found it preferable to dragging around to museums and historical sites some bird only interested in clubs or the beach. "There aren't many women of my acquaintance who share my interest in foreign culture."

Rose grinned at him broadly. "You've obviously been looking for companions in the wrong place." She then turned toward the waitress and motioned for her to bring them refills.

Two hours later, Scorpius had Rose pressed to the back of the lift. One of his hands was cupping her bum and the other was wrapped tightly around her waist. Her tongue was deep in his mouth and she'd wrapped one of her legs around his thigh.

If Scorpius were thinking the thing through rationally, he would have realized that a one-off with a girl who was his boss' daughter while still technically on assignment was not a good idea. However, he hadn't had a rational thought since the middle of his fourth glass of Raki when Rose had placed her hand on his knee and informed him brazenly that he was the best looking man of her acquaintance and she'd be quite downcast if she was never given the opportunity to have a go with him.

The lift stopped and Scorpius reluctantly untangled himself. "This is my floor," he told her huskily.

"Fascinating," Rose replied, running her tongue over her swollen bottom lip. "I don't suppose there are any other captivating sights nearby you'd like me to see?"

With a boldness that undoubtedly came from being sloshed, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hallway. "My room supposedly has a very charming view of the alley behind the hotel."

"How fortunate!" Rose exclaimed, leaning all her soft curves against him. "I am quite the connoisseur of alleys."

He smiled at her, kissed her, and led her down the hallway. Within seconds they were in his room with the door locked. Scorpius moved toward the curtains, but Rose stopped him by grabbing his hand. "I'll check out the alley later," she said, tugging him toward the bed.

"But—"

"Later," she grinned, before pushing hard against his chest. He stumbled and fell back onto the bed. She was straddling him in seconds, her lips pressed to his and her hands under his shirt, stroking his skin and fondling his nipples.

Scorpius' hands were similarly active. He ran them over her arse, under her shirt, and along her back before sliding them around her rib cage so he could cup her breasts over her bra.

Rose moaned into his mouth and ground against him.

He thrust back shallowly in response, eager to bury himself inside her, but at the same time not wanting to rush their encounter.

Rose also seemed in no hurry to get naked. Although she teased him by wrapping one of her long legs around his and sucking a deep bruise on his neck, she made no attempt to remove his clothing.

A gut-wrenching thought occurred to Scorpius. _Perhaps, Rose had changed her mind and was no longer interested in a quick shag_. He had never pressured a girl into sex. The thought of doing so had always been repulsive. Yet, he'd never before been so consumed with lust. He had to struggle with himself to release Rose when she began to pull away. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to steady himself. When he felt strong enough, Scorpius looked up into Rose's mischievous face and realized that he'd be satisfied even if their fooling around didn't go any further. His breath caught in his throat, however, when she pulled off her tee and exposed a flesh-colored lace bra through which her dark nipples were visible.

"Merlin, you're beautiful," he stated hoarsely.

"Less talking and more undressing," Rose laughed, as she fumbled with his belt and the zip on his trousers.

Scorpius grinned and reached around her to unclasp her bra. Within seconds his face was buried between her tits and his lips were pressed to her breastbone.

"Ummm," Rose hummed before breaking away to finish pulling off his trousers.

Feeling exposed, Scorpius tried to grab Rose and pull her down to him. But she refused to be caught.

"Not so fast. I want to look my fill," she smiled, her eyes flicking briefly up to his before settling on his erection.

Scorpius blushed deeply and was about to reach for her again in an attempt to hide his embarrassment when he noticed Rose's tongue dart out to wet her lips. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hands behind his head and settled back against the pillow. Rose obviously had an agenda and who was he to interfere.

Rose trailed a finger from the tip of his cock and down his length, stopping briefly when she reached his light-colored hair before tracing the same path upwards. She glanced at his face and grinned wickedly before sinking to her knees beside the bed and taking him into her mouth. She rubbed her tongue against the ridges on his head before sucking forcefully on him.

The pleasure was so intense that Scorpius squeezed his eyes shut and dug his hands into the bed sheets. His hips arched upward and he pushed himself deeper into her mouth. He felt her lips moving and opened his eyes to watch as Rose's head bobbed over him – three, four, five times. She released with him a quiet 'pop' and stood. He smiled as she struggled out of her jeans, her tits bouncing slightly as she kicked away her garments. She was the sexiest woman Scorpius had ever seen from the top of her dark red curls to the tips of her painted toenails. He could have lain in bed all day just drinking in the sight of her naked body. Rose, however, did not have his patience.

As soon as her clothes were gone, she was on her back stretched out next him. She shot him a 'what are you waiting for' look. It would have annoyed him in any other circumstance, but in this case, it just turned him on even more. He rolled over on top of her and before she could say a word, he'd pushed deep inside.

"Fuck," they both murmured at the same time, causing Rose to giggle.

Scorpius smiled and kissed her gently before he began to move. His motions were slow and deliberate. He wanted to savor the feel of her skin sliding against his. He wanted to enjoy her breathy sighs and the noises coming from the back of her throat. But most of all, he wanted her to remember this as something other than a mindless, drunken fuck. He couldn't have explained his motivation; he just knew what he wanted. It wasn't until Rose called out in pleasure, wrapping her legs around him and throwing back her head that Scorpius allowed himself to increase his pace until he also exploded.

As soon as he'd regained his senses, Scorpius rolled off of Rose. He'd never been one of those blokes who fell asleep immediately after sex. He liked the whispered banter, the lingering caresses, and the soft kisses that so often followed a good shag. This time, however, he could barely keep his eyes open. He was unsure whether to blame the alcohol or Rose's energetic love-making for his drowsiness, but he eventually stopped fighting it. His last thought before his eyes drifted shut, however, was that he planned on convincing Rose to see him again once they were both back in London.

0-0-0

Rose was looking good. She'd dressed in a stylish suit that made her seem both professional and sexy; it was the perfect outfit with which to impress one's boss before going out with your mates to celebrate a big promotion. As she sauntered through Diagon Alley toward the Leaky Cauldron, her only concern was how many Firewhiskys she could drink before she'd need to purchase a Pepperup Potion to get through work the next day. At least that had been her only concern before someone reached out from between two buildings and pulled her into a dark alleyway. Before Rose could draw her wand or scream, she'd been disarmed and a heavy hand was clasped over her mouth.

"Well, if it isn't Rose Weasley'" Scorpius sneered. "I almost didn't recognize you with your clothes on."

Rose growled something behind his hand.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, you don't need to explain why you got me drunk, fucked me, drugged me, and stole a priceless artifact that I had acquired for the Ministry," Scorpius told her in a tone that was menacing in its bluntness. "All you need to do is figure out how you plan on confessing your illegal actions to your father and uncle."

Rose shook her head.

Scorpius' brows furrowed. "No? No what?"

Rose mumbled behind his hand again.

Scorpius lifted his fingers slightly so she could speak.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Rose told him angrily.

"Bullshit," Scorpius replied. "You and I are both too bright to play games about this."

Rose turned her head until her mouth was free. "Well, I am. Even back at Hogwarts, I was never convinced of your alleged intelligence."

Scorpius gripped her chin and turned Rose's face until she was looking at him. "It's not going to work, Weasley. Insult me all you want; it's not going to make me forget what happened in Turkey."

"You're mad. I've never been to Turkey."

Scorpius' grip on her chin tightened. "Next you'll claim that you never slept with me."

Rose frowned. "What is this, a new pick up technique for losers? Pretend you have already had sex with a girl in an exotic location in the hope she'll be confused enough to agree to shag you in London? If so, you should be trying this out on a former Gryffindor, not a Ravenclaw."

Scorpius' eyes narrowed. "You'll be singing a different tune once the Ministry administers a dose of Vertiserum."

"Why would they? Is it against the law for someone to refuse to acknowledge that they've slept with an Auror?"

"No, it's against the law to slip someone a sleeping potion and then rob them."

Rose rolled her eyes. "If I'd ever been to Turkey, been stupid enough to shag you, drug you, and then rob you, I might be concerned _if_ we were now in Turkey. However, since we are in London and you aren't a Turkish law enforcement officer, how about you bugger off before I report you for harassment?"

"All I have to do is give a notarized statement to the International Magical Cooperation office and you'll be extradited to Turkey for trial. I hear their prisons are not near as comfortable and welcoming as Azkaban."

"Have you forgotten who signs all the extradition papers for the Ministry?" Rose asked, jerking free of his hold. "I'm certain my mother will have _lots_ of questions about just why you are you attempting to have her only daughter sent off to Turkey. If it is just your word against mine, who do you think she's going to believe?"

Scorpius' eyes narrowed. "I can show her my memory in a pensive."

"All you remember is us getting drunk and having sex with someone who looked like me. It's a pretty big leap to go from _that_ to me drugging and robbing you."

"You'll still come off looking worse than me."

Rose snorted. "Unlikely. I think my parents will be much more forgiving of their daughter having made a personal mistake by sleeping with a rotter than they will be with an Auror who was derelict in carrying out his duty."

"I wasn't derelict," Scorpius growled.

"That's right you weren't. You did your job and caught the smugglers. The Ministry's claim on the Portrait head was minimal at best. Gringotts, on the other hand, had invested in that dig. We have employees on site. Just because _some_ members of the Ministry disapprove of making profits off of antiquities doesn't give them the right to appropriate artifacts and hand them over to Muggle museums."

"There are procedures in place to reclaim items confiscated by the Ministry."

"When is the last time that Goblins ever got a fair hearing by wizards?" Rose didn't wait for him to answer. "Never."

"That is the typical kind of justification I expect from someone who doesn't want to take the time or the effort to do things the right way, the _legal_ way. Tell me, do you cut corners in all aspects of your life or just while on clock for Gringotts."

"Obviously, I cut corners deciding who I wanted to sleep with in Turkey. Otherwise, I would have realized before now that you are a pompous and arrogant tosser. Now if you'll excuse me, I am supposed to be meeting friends." Rose brushed her hands over her outfit, straightened her skirt, took her wand back from Scorpius, then turned on her heel and walked out of the alley.

0-0-0

Rose had just ordered her second Firewhisky when Scorpius sat down at the table next to her.

"Care to join us, Malfoy?" Hugo asked sarcastically at the interruption.

"Rose didn't tell you I was coming?" Scorpius asked, throwing an arm around Rose's shoulder and giving her a squeeze.

She glared at him.

"Are you seeing _him_?" Dominique asked, her nose wrinkled as if she had just smelled something rotten.

"No," Rose began, only to have Scorpius speak over her.

"We started dating in Turkey."

"He's the bloke who 'fucked your brains out' in Turkey?" Lily exclaimed, her mouth hanging open.

"No." Ross kicked Lily under the table and glared at her.

"I did?" Scorpius grinned at her like a madman.

"No!" Rose replied, flushing in embarrassment.

"Gross," Hugo gagged. "I do not want to know this stuff."

"There is nothing to know," Rose stated hotly, shrugging Scorpius' arm off of her. "Malfoy and I are not a couple. We have no sexual history. He has just chosen to stalk and annoy me for some undoubtedly perverse reason. I would go report him to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but you know how Ministry workers always cover each others' backs."

Everyone looked at her skeptically. Before Scorpius could say something outrageous, however, Fred and Louis walked into the pub.

"Did you get it?" Louis asked, shooting a sidewise glance at Scorpius.

"Who are you talking to?" Rose responded with a big grin. "Of course, I did!"

"That's my girl!" Fred laughed. "Next round is on me."

As everyone at the table cheered this announcement, Scorpius leaned close to Rose. "What are we celebrating?" he asked softly, his breath hot on her cheek.

"_We_ are not celebrating anything," she hissed. "_I_ am celebrating getting a promotion."

Scorpius' eyes narrowed. "Really? Gringotts is giving you a promotion in appreciation of all your _hard work_ in Turkey?"

"Of course they are," Hugo interjected, eager to defend his sister despite not knowing what exactly was going on between her and Scorpius. "Rose excels at her job."

"You'll get no argument from me about that. I know from personal experience that Rose is more than willing to sacrifice her body and soul for her work."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Rose growled.

"Trouble in paradise?" Lily chirped from the other side of the table. Rose tried to kick her again, but Lily was no dummy and had moved out of range.

"You know what it means." Scorpius replied as his gaze travelled from her lips to her breasts and then back up again.

"Well, I don't," Dominique said in the haughty, bored voice she used with everyone who wasn't family. "Care to explain it to us, Malfoy?"

Rose stood abruptly, her chair scrapping along the floor. "Can I talk to you in private?"

Scorpius gazed around the table at all the expectant looks on her family members' faces. "I don't know, Rosebud, some might consider it rude for me to leave before answering your cousin's question."

"Rosebud?" Louis and Hugo looked like they were going to get sick.

Rose placed her hand on Scorpius' arm and tugged firmly. "They'll forgive you. Let's talk."

Smiling widely as if he'd just won some major prize in a sweepstakes, Scorpius rose from his seat. Inclining his head slightly toward the table, he murmured, "Excuse me," and let Rose drag him through the pub.

As soon as they got into the narrow hall outside of the women's loo, Rose pushed Scorpius against the wall and poked him in the chest with her finger. "I want you to leave me alone!"

Scorpius grabbed her hand, twisted Rose's arm around her back, and pulled her flush against him. Undoubtedly, his bosses would be disappointed to discover he was using his Auror training to physically bully their daughter. "And I wanted a promotion. It looks like we are both going to be disappointed."

"Promotion? You don't even work for Gringotts," Rose growled, not in the least bit intimidated by him.

Her attitude angered him. She was the one who had used him, ruined his mission, and broken the law, yet she showed not one sign of remorse. She should be begging for his forgiveness and cowering in fear that he'd tell all to her family. Instead, she was being sarcastic, defiant, and insolent. Damn it all to hell and back, but it was turning him on. "I was in line for a promotion at the Ministry until I failed to bring back that artifact from Turkey because of you."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Do you ever take responsibility for anything?"

Scorpius wanted to hex her; he wanted to shake her; he wanted to kiss the obstinacy out of her. He settled for verbal warfare. "I'll take full responsibility for fucking your brains out."

"Lily had no idea what she was talking about."

He nodded in mock understanding. "Yeah, she seemed really confused."

Rose sighed deeply and her anger faded. When she looked up into Scorpius face, her eyes gleamed with mischief. "Of course, it's been three weeks. Maybe I just need to be reminded of how good it was… or wasn't."

Scorpius knew that Rose was attempting to use her sexuality to once again get him to lower his defenses. This time, however, he wasn't going to let himself be taken in – well, not completely. He brought his head down and captured Rose's lips with his own. It wasn't a playful kiss or a kiss of exploration; it was a kiss to conqueror, a kiss full of resentment and lust.

When he finally tore his mouth from hers, Scorpius saw that Rose's eyes were squeezed shut and her breathing was labored. He wanted to kiss her again but released her arm instead, giving her the opportunity to break away and hurry back to her family. She didn't run. Rather, she wrapped both her arms around his neck, opened her eyes, and smiled in a slow, wicked way that sent a wave of desire straight into his gut. "Alright, I forgive you for being a prick. Let's go to your flat."

"What?" Scorpius would have backed away from her if he wasn't already pressed up against the wall.

"I wasn't lying in the pub that day, Malfoy. I like you. A lot."

"You realize there is no way in hell I'm ever going to believe that, right?"

"Why not? What do I have to gain by going home with you now? You have absolutely nothing I want." She paused for a moment, her smile growing even broader. "Except, of course, your body."

Scorpius shook his head slowly. He'd be an idiot if he believed her, an idiot if he took her home. However, it wasn't like he had anything left to lose. He squelched the voice inside him that warned that he could lose his heart. She didn't have any power over him. This encounter could be about him using her just like she had used him. "Maybe I should Apparate home first and hide all my valuables."

Rose rolled her eyes. "We are in England, Malfoy. Should I pilfer your private possessions, you can have me arrested."

"I suppose." He sounded unsure, but he'd wrapped his arms tightly around her waist in spite of it.

Rose stood on her tiptoes, sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, and bit it gently. "All life is chance, Malfoy. Don't you know that the people who are most successful are those who risk the most?"

Scorpius didn't bother to answer; he just tightened his grip, gave a quick turn, and Disapperated with Rose clutched to him.

0-0-0

Rose sat up in bed, a look of panic crossing her face. "What time is it?"

"Eleven."

"Oh shit." She leapt up, wrapping the top sheet around her, and started to gather her clothes. "Where's my wand?"

Scorpius lay back against the headboard, hoping Rose would let her sheet slip so he could get another look at her marvelous backside, and shrugged. "How should I know?"

Rose's eyes narrowed. "I have an alarm set on my wand to wake me up so I can make it work by 8 a.m. I told you last night that I needed to be there this morning for an important meeting about my future with the bank. It should have gone off, unless someone disabled it."

"Why would anyone want to do that?"

Something in his tone must have given him away. "You bloody wanker," she growled. "I can't believe you would be so petty."

Scorpius' face was impassive. "I don't know what you are talking about; I haven't touched your wand."

"You deliberately sabotaged me, didn't you? I really liked you, but you just wanted vengeance."

He snorted. "You demonstrated fairly well in Turkey that you only liked me to whatever extent I was useful to your master plan."

"You're such an idiot. Whatever may have happened in Turkey after we had sex wasn't personal. I was just doing my job. The attraction was real. This, however, required calculated and malicious behavior on your part."

"Stop being overly dramatic, Weasley. You are a few hours late for work. I'm sure that whatever reprimand you get from the goblins won't be nearly as serious as what I got from your father for losing that Portrait head."

Rose wasn't the least bit mollified by his words. "There is nothing lower than a man who has sex with a woman for revenge."

Scorpius grinned. "You have it all wrong. I had sex with you because of your glorious body and passionate nature. I cast an Imperturbable Charm on the door of the loo for revenge."

Turning with a curse, Rose marched across the room and pulled open the door. Inside the bathroom, her wand sat on the sink counter chipping, "Time to get up! You're going to be late! Time to get up!"

When she turned around to glare at him, Scorpius was disgusted with himself for still seeing her as one of the most attractive women of his acquaintance despite her rage, her flushed skin, and her tousled hair.

"I hope you lose your bits in a painful and nonreversible Disapparation accident," she spat angrily.

"Now, Rosebud, that isn't what you said last night when you were begging me to shove my bits—" The end of his sentence was cut short when Rose stepped into the loo and slammed the door shut.

0-0-0

Scorpius felt fortunate to have been given another chance by the Ministry to conduct a solo mission to bring down a smuggling operation. He was tracking a group of three wizards who were masquerading as Oxford archeology students doing summer internships at a Pompeii-like dig site in Kurnool, India. Rather than cataloging and tagging the actual artifacts, however, the wizards were charming pieces of Mikasa dinnerware to look like old pottery and then selling the originals to the highest bidders back in Europe. Scorpius had arrived in Kurnool two days ago, hoping to attend one of the auctions. If he could catch the smugglers red-handed, he could have the Turkish authorities extradite them back to London for a trial before the Wizengamot. He was feeling confident in his ability to bring the case to a successful conclusion until he walked into the hotel room where the sale was scheduled to take place and found Rose Weasley examining some of the pottery.

Scowling, Scorpius marched over to Rose and stood close beside her. "What are you doing here?" he demanded in a harsh whisper.

Rose looked up quickly, obviously startled. She rapidly regained her composure. "My parents' 30th wedding anniversary is approaching. I thought they might appreciate a 2000 year old platter to add to the china cabinet."

Scorpius shook his head, not amused by her chatter. "I want you to get out of here before you ruin everything."

"Well, I want you out of here because you're a prick. I suspect, however, that I have about as little chance of getting what I want as you do."

He grabbed Rose by the wrist and lowered his mouth toward her ear. "Look, things could get dangerous and I don't want you around in case something goes wrong."

"Well aren't you thoughtful to be concerned for my safety," Rose gushed sarcastically. "But I have no plans on going anywhere until I have acquired the item for which I came."

Scorpius' grip on her wrist tightened, but he did not raise his voice. "You are leaving now or I'm going to forcibly remove you."

"Just try it and I'll announce to the entire room that you work for the British Ministry."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

Scorpius ground his teeth together. Rose was the most exasperating woman he'd ever had the misfortunate to meet. He wished he didn't find her so distractingly attractive. "Fine, but you are sitting next to me all afternoon so I can keep an eye on you."

He expected her to protest, whine, or threaten him again. Instead, she just gave him a wide smile. "Does this mean we're partners?"

"No! It certain does not," he said, steering her over to a row of seats in the back of the room.

"Too bad," she stated in a low voice. "I've always wondered what it would be like to fuck a co-worker."

Rose's comment stopped Scorpius dead in his tracks. "Could you please be serious?" He didn't know if he could focus on his assignment if Rose kept teasing him sexually.

"I am serious," she stated softly. "Why don't we cooperate? You can focus on arresting the bad guys, I'll focus on retrieving Gringotts' property, and when everything is all over and done with, we can celebrate by sharing a nice hot shower together."

Scorpius wet his lips and wished that she wasn't so appealing. "I don't trust you."

"That's okay. I don't trust you, either. But that will only make us even better partners since we'll constantly be double checking each other's work."

Scorpius knew that Rose's idea was crazy. The first rule of having a partner was choosing someone you could trust and rely on. There was no chance in hell he would ever trust her again. At the same time, there was something very appealing about having her close enough to monitor. "Alright," he muttered pushing her down in a chair before sitting next to her. "But I'm only going along with this to make sure you don't engage in any risky or illegal activities that could interfere with my case."

Rose laughed, her voice rich with some emotion Scorpius couldn't quite place. "No problem. I only suggested we be partners because of the potential for great sex."

As the auction started and Rose brushed up against him, Scorpius realized that something important had just occurred between him and her. He wasn't sure if it was forgiveness, the start of an uneasy relationship, or just a new openness between them. Whatever it was, however, he knew it was significant and that he wanted to see where it ended up taking them.

The End


End file.
